Founder of local roofing company looks back on 10 years of operation and efforts to give free roofs to those in need

IDAHO FALLS – For Mark Franklin, having people who were there for him during the worst point in his life has made all the difference. That’s why giving back is so important to him.

The Idaho Falls man owns a roofing company called Roof Rescue, which he launched in 2014. He and his crew serve people throughout eastern Idaho. Over the last decade, replacing or repairing roofs at no cost for people in need has been an integral part of his business.

“Every year, there are a couple of people who have tugged our heart strings and we’ve replaced or repaired roofs for free for them,” Franklin tells EastIdahoNews.com.

It was a job with a roofing company that got Franklin back on his feet after serving two years in county jail on drug charges. He worked several jobs before launching Roof Rescue.

He started giving free roofs to people in need because “it felt like the right thing to do.”

It wasn’t until last year that they formalized the process and started advertising it. Operation Roof Rescue became the official title of the effort.

Community members help them identify recipients by sending in nominations. He and his team select four or five nominees from the mix that they can help.

“Last year was really fun because all four (recipients) were just really solid people,” Franklin says.

Among last year’s nominees was Ariel Jackson, executive director at the Idaho Falls Community Food Basket.

She and her husband had a damaged roof they’d been trying to repair for about four years. The cost of the project was around $16,000, which the couple just couldn’t afford.

Franklin’s team came to their aid and fixed it in about two days.

Jackson was skeptical initially, thinking they’d just “slap something on there” that wouldn’t last. Almost a year later, Jackson says she’s pleased with the quality of the work and goes outside to look at it everyday.

“They were amazing and surpassed our expectations,” Jackson says. “It’s one of the coolest things that’s ever happened to us.”

Other recipients last year included a police officer and his wife, a firefighter and a veteran.

“We’ve done a ton of them over the years,” says Franklin.

Franklin’s story

Franklin’s desire to help others stems back to his childhood. His mom and dad divorced when he was 10. He rarely saw his dad as a kid, but Kevin Grimes, a local attorney who fostered a lot of kids, was a father figure for him.

Though Grimes never officially adopted Franklin, Franklin says he often stayed at Grimes’ house as a teenager.

It was during this time that Franklin started doing drugs and eventually wound up in jail. Grimes visited Franklin often during his incarceration.

“He’d come visit me and talk to me and, as he would say it, would ‘speak truth into my life,’” Franklin recalls. “Very Christian guy who practiced what he preached and taught me a lot about life, what it means to be a man, who God is and who I am, too.”

There were other solid male role models in Franklin’s childhood as well, and he’s grateful for the role they played in helping him navigate his way to adulthood.

Today, he enjoys paying it forward for others who are struggling.

Franklin and his team have helped many people over the years and he’s enjoyed making connections with all of them. He recalls one family they helped several years ago that was particularly memorable.

“He had a wife and two kids and was replacing the roof himself. He was driving to either get material or on the way back from getting material and … was in a car wreck and died,” says Franklin. “We (completed the project for him).”

Franklin says those they help are getting the best labor and materials possible. He’s hoping to expand into other areas of the state and into Cache Valley, Utah to help more people.

To learn more or submit a nomination, click here.

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